Tool and Method for Opening a Vacuum Sealed Bottle

ABSTRACT

A tool and method for puncturing a lid of a vacuum sealed bottle to release the vacuum and allow easy opening. A point extends down from the tool, and force may be exerted against the tool by the palm or thumb of a user causing the point to penetrate the lid. The point preferably extends between 3/16 inches and 1/16 inches down from the handle, and more preferably about 3/16 inches. In some embodiments the tool is mushroom shaped having a wider round or oval upper portion for grasping and a narrower lower portion centered under the upper portion of the handle, the point extending down from the lower portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Continuation In Part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/931,692 filed Aug. 31, 2004, which applicationis incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to kitchen utensils, and specifically totools for puncturing a lid of a vacuum sealed bottle to release thevacuum seal to allow easy removal of the lid.

To avoid contamination and prevent tampering, many food and beverage,and medicine bottles available in the marketplace are equipped withvacuumed sealed lids, wherein the food or liquid is placed in the bottlewhile hot and allowed to cool after the lid is screwed or pressed ontothe bottle to securely seal the bottle. The resultant vacuum forces areoften quite large and require a disengagement force that is difficult togenerate by normal human hand and wrist action. Even a hardy person mustsometimes resort to extraordinary effort to remove the lid. Thedifficulty is exacerbated for the elderly and/or physically challenged.

A number of tools have been offered or suggested to aid in removing suchlids, to remove other strongly secured lids, such as paint can lids, orto otherwise open sealed bottles. Lid wrenches and other tools toprovide mechanical leverage to help turn a lid against the force of avacuum seal are illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,296 (Graver), U.S.Pat. No. 5,083,482 (Floyd), U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,468 (Fohrman et al.),D440,842 (Vandergaw), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,490,951 (Davidson). Suchtools, while providing leverage still require substantial strength touse and are large and relatively expensive. Tools that have beendesigned for prying open paint cans and the like, and to also punch ahole in the paint can gutter to enable paint to drain back into the can,are illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,302 (Barth), U.S. Pat. No.5,127,121 (Bossie), U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,665 (Fick), and U.S. Pat. No.6,360,444 (Fluhr et al.). Such tools take advantage of a space betweenthe edge of the paint can and the lid, where a gutter is formed, and arenot useful for removing vacuum sealed lids, which generally do not havesuch a pry edge. Tools that have been designed to puncture can tops orto facilitate or replace the use of built-in tab openers are illustratedby U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,753 (Wilkinson), U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,448(Fournier et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,451 (Widman), U.S. Pat. No.5,203,087 (Richard), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,848 (Totten). Such toolsare large and relatively expensive, are not readily applied to vacuumsealed jar lids or the like. Moreover, the holes punched into the cantops are generally too large to be easily resealed if that is desired bythe consumer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,802 (Jeffers) describes a puncture andseal apparatus that can be secured to a bottle, which straddles thebottle, a presser plate pushing the bottom of the can onto a piercingcone which creates a pierced opening and then seals the opening forsubsequent use as a spout that can be opened and closed. Aside from itsrelatively high cost and great size, the tool is not useful to openvacuum sealed lids on jars and the like. Finally, of superficialrelevance to the structure of the present invention, is a golf tee awlfor making holes in the ground, to make it easier to insert golf tees,is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,298 (Rushforth). There is nosuggestion that such a tool could be used to release the vacuum ofsealed jar lids and the like, nor could the elongate spike of that toolbe easily used for that purpose.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing atool and method for puncturing a lid of a vacuum sealed bottle torelease the vacuum and allow easy opening. A point extends down from thetool, and force may be exerted against the tool by the palm or thumb ofa user causing the point to penetrate the lid. The point preferablyextends between 3/16 inches and 1/16 inches down from the handle, andmore preferably about 3/16 inches. In some embodiments the tool ismushroom shaped having a wider round or oval upper portion for graspingand a narrower lower portion centered under the upper portion of thehandle, the point extending down from the lower portion.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided apuncturing tool which enables even a weak, disabled or very elderlyperson to make a tiny puncture through the lid of the bottle, releasingthe vacuum to equalize the pressure to atmosphere so that the lid canthen be removed with very little effort. If the product is to be reused,it can be placed in a refrigerator, the tiny hole providing littleopportunity for spoilage. Alternatively, a small piece of tape, such asScotch brand cellophane tape or “Magic” tape, or a small amount of wax,can be place over the tiny hole to reestablish the integrity of the lid.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided apuncturing tool for puncturing the lid of a vacuum sealed bottle torelease the vacuum, having a handle that can be held in the hand of auser and having a palm or thumb contacting top surface against whichpressure may be exerted by the palm or thumb of the user. A pointextends from the bottom surface of the handle, the point being formed topenetrate the lid when pressure is exerted against the top surface ofthe handle. The length of the point is such as to extend less than 3/16inch from the bottom end of the handle, in preferred embodiments, lessthan ⅛ inch from the handle bottom end, and in still more preferredembodiments, less than 1/16 inch from the handle bottom end.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there isprovided a puncturing tool having a point defined by an axial shankconnected at a proximal end to the handle and formed with the point atits distal end, the handle being formed with a hole for receiving theproximal end of the shank secured therein. A layer of compressiblematerial can be disposed on the bottom surface of the handle, the pointextending through the compressible material when the compressiblematerial is compressed and extending less than ⅛ inch beyond the layerof compressible material when the compressible material is uncompressed.

In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, there isprovided a puncturing tool having a handle formed of an upper portiondefining a palm or thumb contacting surface, and an integral bottomportion of substantially cylindrical shape, sized to accommodate auser's index and middle fingers when the user's thumb contacts the topsurface of the handle. The handle and point can be formed in one pieceof metal, or they can be formed of different material. For example, thepoint can be formed of stainless steel and the handle formed of aceramic, other metal, plastic, or of hardwood.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided amethod for puncturing a lid of a vacuum sealed bottle to allow easyremoval of the lid. The method includes the steps of grasping a handleof a lid puncturing tool, holding the tool to position a point extendingdown from the tool against a lid of a vacuum sealed bottle, pressing thepoint against the lid with sufficient force to puncture the lid,releasing vacuum from the bottle, removing contents from the bottle,replacing the lid onto the bottle, and placing tape over the puncture inthe lid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more apparent from the following more particulardescription thereof, presented in conjunction with the followingdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of a tool constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a second embodiment of a tool constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with a layer ofcompressible material attached to the bottom of the tool in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 2 with the layer ofcompressible material attached to the bottom of the tool in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the tool taken along line 9-9 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the tool taken along line 10-10 ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the tool taken along line 11-11 ofFIG. 7;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the tool taken along line 12-12 ofFIG. 8;

FIG. 13A is a side view of a threaded point in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 13B is a side view of a stepped point in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 14A shows the tool positioned to puncture a vacuum sealed lid of abottle;

FIG. 14B shows the tool after puncturing a vacuum sealed lid of abottle;

FIG. 15 is a method for opening vacuum sealed bottles according to thepresent invention.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding componentsthroughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description is of the best mode presently contemplated forcarrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in alimiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing one ormore preferred embodiments of the invention. The scope of the inventionshould be determined with reference to the claims.

Referring to FIG. 1, one embodiment of a lid puncturing tool 10 a of thepresent invention is shown, the tool 10 a comprises a handle 20 and apoint 14. The tool 10 a has an overall height (not including the point14) H of about 1.1 inches, the handle 20 has a height H1 of about 0.6inches, and the handle 20 is a height H2 of about 0.5 inches above thepoint 14. The handle 20 is configured to be held in the hand of a userand has a smooth circular convex top surface 16 against which pressuremay be exerted by the palm, fingers, or thumb of the user, and a smoothrounded bottom surface 12 to facilitate grasping. An integral bottomportion (or spacer) 22 preferably resides below the handle 20. Thespacer 22 preferably has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is sizedto accommodate a user's index and middle fingers when the user holds thehandle 20. A flat disk-like section 23 may reside under the spacer 22and extends the diameter of the spacer 22 by a small amount.

The point 14 extends down a depth d below the bottom surface 18 of thesection 23 and the point 14 is configured to penetrate a vacuum sealedlid when force is exerted against the top surface 16 of the handle 20.The point 14 preferably extends the depth d between 1/16 and ¼ inchesbelow the bottom surface 18, and more preferably the point extends about3/16 inch below the bottom surface 18.

Referring to FIG. 2, another embodiment comprising a tool 10 b is shown,which is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 1 but does not include thesection 23. Accordingly, for ease and consistency of description, whenappropriate, the same element numbers will be used in FIG. 2 as used inFIG. 1. The tool 10 b also comprises a handle 20 and a point 14. Thepoint 14 extends from the bottom surface 28 of a spacer 30 replacing thespacer 22. The point 14 of the tool 10 b is the same length as the point14 described above.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show top plan views of the tools 10 a and 10 brespectively. The handle 20 has a diameter D. The diameter D ispreferably between 1.5 and 2.5 inches, and more preferably between 1.5and two inches, and most preferably about 1.5 inches. The handle 20 mayalso be oval of about the same size.

FIG. 5 shows a bottom view of the tool 10 a. The section 23 has adiameter D1 of about 0.6 inches and is preferably a little greater than⅓ the diameter of the handle 20. The point 14 has a diameter D2 of about0.15 inches.

FIG. 6 shows a bottom view of the tool 10 b. The spacer 30 has adiameter D3 of about 0.5 inches and is preferably about ⅓ the diameterof the handle 20.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, tools 10 c and 10 d are shown wherein therespective tools 10 a and 10 b are each fitted with a layer 32 ofcompressible material. The compressible material can be in the form of arubber or rubber-like washer, or a disk of felt, or a disk of a loopmaterial of a hook and loop material, or similar compressible material.The point 14 extends through the layer 32 about 1/16 inch beyond thelayer 32 when the layer 32 is uncompressed, reducing the likelihood ofscratching or puncturing the skin of a user, or of kitchen items.

Cross-sectional views of the tools 10 a, 10 b, 10 c, and 10 d takenalong lines 9, 10, 11, and 12 of FIGS. 1, 2, 7, and 8 are shown in FIGS.9, 10, 11, and 12 respectively. The point 14 is defined by an exposedconical portion 15 a and an attached cylindrical portion 15 b (see FIG.13A). The handle 20 is formed with a hole 40 for receiving thecylindrical portion 15 b, which is secured therein. The hole 40 andshank 36 may include respective mating female and male screw threads sothat the shank can be screwed into the handle (and easily replaced ifneeded).

Details of a point 14 a are shown in FIG. 13A. The point 14 a has anoverall length L of about 0.5 inch from its base 38 to a tip 39, alength L1 of about ⅛ inches of a conical portion 15 a, and a length L2of about ⅜ inches of the cylindrical portion. The conical portion 15 aforms an angle A of preferably between 20 and 40 degrees and morepreferably about 30 degrees from a centerline CL of the point 14. Thecylindrical portion 15 b includes male threads for cooperating withfemale threads in the hole 40. Using a threaded point 14 a provides anadvantage of being able to adjust the extent of protrusion of the point14 a from the handle 20.

A second point 14 b shown in FIG. 13B provides an interference fit withthe hole 40. A smaller diameter stepped end 17 allows the point 14 to beeasily started in the hole 40, and then mechanically pressed into afinal position.

The point 14 may also be secured by use of an adhesive, such as LocktiteB (Eastman 9-10), secured by plastic injection molding, or the like. Thehandle 20 may be formed by plastic injection molding and the point 14may include a medium knurl for retention.

The handle and shank can be formed of the same or different materials.For example, the handle can be formed of ceramic material, or othermaterial, or both the shank and handle can be formed of stainless steelor other metal. Preferably the handle is formed of a ceramic material,or of hardwood or plastic, and the shank is formed of stainless or othersteel, preferably heat-treated. In an alternative embodiment, the handleand point are formed in one piece from plastic or steel, or other metal.

The tool 10 is shown above a vacuum sealed bottle 52 and lid 50 in FIG.14A, and after puncturing the lid in FIG. 14B. The length and pitch ofthe point 14 were selected after significant experimentation to puncturethe lid 50 with little effort and to minimally puncture the lid 50 whichis sufficient to release pressure vacuum in the bottle 52 allowing easyremoval of the lid 50 from the bottle 52. Providing a minimal punctureallows the lid 50 to be reattached and provide a useful sealing of thebottle 52 after initial opening.

A method for puncturing a lid of a vacuum sealed bottle to allow easyremoval of the lid is shown in FIG. 15. The method includes the steps ofgrasping a handle of a lid puncturing tool at step 100, holding the toolto position a point extending down from the tool against a lid of avacuum sealed bottle at step 102, pressing the point against the lidwith sufficient force to puncture the lid at step 104, releasing vacuumfrom the bottle at step 106, removing the lid from the bottle at step108, removing contents from the bottle at step 110, replacing the lidonto the bottle at step 112, and placing tape over the puncture in thelid at step 114. When the entire contents of the bottle are removed,there is no need to perform steps 112 and 114.

The tool 10 may further find application in scoring fruit skins tofacilitate peeling, tearing tamper proof seals to facilitate removal,tearing packaging tape to open packages, perforating frozen foodcovering before microwave cooking, perforating a canned drink lid toallow the lid to relax to expose a pull tab.

While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means ofspecific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modificationsand variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.

I claim:
 1. A method for facilitating opening a sealed article,comprising: providing the sealed article; providing a puncturing tool;grasping a handle of the puncturing tool; pressing a point of thepuncturing tool against the sealed article with sufficient forceperforming one of: puncturing a lid of a vacuum sealed bottle to releasevacuum from the vacuum sealed bottle and removing the lid from thevacuum sealed bottle; scoring fruit skins to facilitate peeling andpealing the fruit; tearing tamper proof seals to facilitate removal ofthe tamper proof seals; tearing packaging tape to open packages;perforating a frozen food covering before microwave cooking; andperforating a canned drink lid to allow the lid to relax to expose apull tab.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sealed article is thevacuum sealed bottle and performing one of: puncturing the lid of thevacuum sealed bottle to release the vacuum from the vacuum sealed bottleand removing the lid from the vacuum sealed bottle; scoring the fruitskins to facilitate peeling and pealing the fruit; tearing the tamperproof seals to facilitate removal of the tamper proof seals; tearing thepackaging tape to open the packages; perforating the frozen foodcovering before microwave cooking; and perforating the canned drink lidto allow the lid to relax to expose the pull tab, comprises scoring thefruit skins to facilitate peeling and pealing the fruit.
 3. The methodof claim 1, wherein the sealed article is the vacuum sealed bottle andperforming one of: puncturing the lid of the vacuum sealed bottle torelease the vacuum from the vacuum sealed bottle and removing the lidfrom the vacuum sealed bottle; scoring the fruit skins to facilitatepeeling and pealing the fruit; tearing the tamper proof seals tofacilitate removal of the tamper proof seals; tearing the packaging tapeto open the packages; perforating the frozen food covering beforemicrowave cooking; and perforating the canned drink lid to allow the lidto relax to expose the pull tab, comprises tearing the tamper proofseals to facilitate removal.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thesealed article is the vacuum sealed bottle and performing one of:puncturing the lid of the vacuum sealed bottle to release the vacuumfrom the vacuum sealed bottle and removing the lid from the vacuumsealed bottle; scoring the fruit skins to facilitate peeling and pealingthe fruit; tearing the tamper proof seals to facilitate removal of thetamper proof seals; tearing the packaging tape to open the packages;perforating the frozen food covering before microwave cooking; andperforating the canned drink lid to allow the lid to relax to expose thepull tab, comprises tearing the packaging tape to open the packages. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein the sealed article is the vacuum sealedbottle and performing one of: puncturing the lid of the vacuum sealedbottle to release the vacuum from the vacuum sealed bottle and removingthe lid from the vacuum sealed bottle; scoring the fruit skins tofacilitate peeling and pealing the fruit; tearing the tamper proof sealsto facilitate removal of the tamper proof seals; tearing the packagingtape to open the packages; perforating the frozen food covering beforemicrowave cooking; and perforating the canned drink lid to allow the lidto relax to expose the pull tab, comprises perforating the frozen foodcovering before microwave cooking.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein thesealed article is the vacuum sealed bottle and performing one of:puncturing the lid of the vacuum sealed bottle to release the vacuumfrom the vacuum sealed bottle and removing the lid from the vacuumsealed bottle; scoring the fruit skins to facilitate peeling and pealingthe fruit; tearing the tamper proof seals to facilitate removal of thetamper proof seals; tearing the packaging tape to open the packages;perforating the frozen food covering before microwave cooking; andperforating the canned drink lid to allow the lid to relax to expose thepull tab, comprises perforating the canned drink lid to allow the lid torelax to expose the pull tab.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thesealed article is the vacuum sealed bottle and performing one of:puncturing the lid of the vacuum sealed bottle to release the vacuumfrom the vacuum sealed bottle and removing the lid from the vacuumsealed bottle; scoring the fruit skins to facilitate peeling and pealingthe fruit; tearing the tamper proof seals to facilitate removal of thetamper proof seals; tearing the packaging tape to open the packages;perforating the frozen food covering before microwave cooking; andperforating the canned drink lid to allow the lid to relax to expose thepull tab, comprises puncturing a lid of the vacuum sealed bottle torelease vacuum from the vacuum sealed bottle and removing the lid fromthe vacuum sealed bottle.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing alid puncturing tool comprises providing a lid puncturing toolcomprising: a handle having a diameter of about 1.5 inches and a heightof about 0.6 inches; and a point attached to the handle and having anexposed conical end having a taper between 20 and 40 degrees from apoint centerline.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein providing a lidpuncturing tool comprises providing the lid puncturing tool having apoint having the taper of about 30 degrees from the point centerline.10. The method of claim 8, wherein providing a lid puncturing toolcomprises providing a lid puncturing tool further comprising a spacerresiding under the handle, the spacer having about ⅓ the diameter of thehandle and a length of about 0.5 inches, the exposed conical end of thepoint extending from the spacer.
 11. The method of claim 10, whereinproviding a lid puncturing tool comprises providing a lid puncturingtool further comprising the exposed conical end of the point extendingbetween 3/16 inches and 1/16 inches from the spacer.
 12. The method ofclaim 11, wherein providing a lid puncturing tool comprises providing alid puncturing tool further comprising the tip of the exposed conicalend of the point extending about 3/16 inches from the spacer.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, wherein providing a lid puncturing tool comprisesproviding a lid puncturing tool further comprising: the point having acylindrical portion the exposed about 1/16 inches below the spacer; andthe conical end of the point extending about ⅛ inches below thecylindrical portion.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein providing a lidpuncturing tool comprises providing a lid puncturing tool furthercomprising the point about 0.15 inches in diameter.
 15. The method ofclaim 12, wherein providing a lid puncturing tool comprises providing alid puncturing tool further including a compressible layer residingunder the spacer, the point extending thorough the compressible layer.16. The method of claim 15, wherein providing a lid puncturing toolcomprises providing a lid puncturing tool further including thecompressible layer in an uncompressed state about ⅛ inches thick and thepoint extending about 1/16 inches below the compressible material. 17.The method of claim 12, wherein providing a lid puncturing toolcomprises providing the lid puncturing tool wherein the handle andspacer are made from plastic and the point is made from metal.
 18. Themethod of claim 17, wherein providing a lid puncturing tool comprisesproviding a lid puncturing tool wherein the point is press fit into ahole in the spacer or wherein the point threadably engages the spacer.19. A method for opening a vacuum sealed bottle, comprising: providing avacuum sealed bottle; providing a lid puncturing tool; grasping a handleof the lid puncturing tool; holding the tool to position a pointextending down from the tool against the lid of the vacuum sealedbottle; pressing the point against the lid with sufficient force topuncture the lid; releasing vacuum from the bottle; removing the lidfrom the bottle; removing at least some contents from the bottle;replacing the lid onto the bottle; and placing tape over the puncture inthe lid.
 20. A method for opening a vacuum sealed bottle, comprising:providing a vacuum sealed bottle having a metal lid; providing a lidpuncturing tool comprising: a handle having a diameter of about 1.5inches and a height of about 0.6 inches; a spacer residing under thehandle, the spacer having about ⅓ the diameter of the handle and aheight of about 0.5 inches; a point extending about 3/16 inches underthe spacer and having a diameter of about 0.15 inches and an exposedconical end having a taper about 30 degrees from a point centerline;grasping the handle of the lid puncturing tool; holding the tool toposition the point against the lid of the vacuum sealed bottle; pressingthe point against the lid with sufficient force to puncture the lid;releasing vacuum from the bottle, and removing the lid from the bottle.